. >> if senator mccain and senator graham and others want to go after somebody, they should go after me. >> reporter: and today the white house was not backing down. >> the focus on, some might say, obsession on comments made on sunday's shows seems to me and to many to be misplaced. >> reporter: rice told the senator she wanted a chance to clear her name. but later, two of the senators she met with said they would still put a hold on her nomination. that's senate speak for blocking it. still, the white house is planning to fight for her, and senate democratic leaders say they can get her confirmed. >> andrea mitchell at the state department to start us off tonight. andrea, thanks. >>> overseas today in cairo, a dramatic scene in tahrir square. it looked a lot like those furious protests we saw against former president hosni mubarak, driven out early last year. but today's anger was directed at the new president, morsi. nbc's ayman mohyeldin is in tahrir square for us tonight. good evening, ayman. >> reporter: good evening, brian. hundreds of thousands of protesters were back here in